Novak Djokovic’s quest for a milestone 100th ATP title came to a stunning end in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International as he crashed out with a 7-6(6), 6-3 loss to unseeded American Reilly Opelka on Friday.
The world No. 1 had a tough time with Opelka’s booming serve in their first meeting on tour, losing a tight opening-set tiebreak before getting broken early in the second. The 6ft 11in (211cm) giant from the US was too strong with his groundstrokes, capping the biggest win of his career with an ace.
The 37-year-old Djokovic will now set his sights on the Australian Open, in pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam and joining the elite 100-title club attained only by Roger Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109).
Opelka said the victory was as massive as it seemed, referring to Djokovic as “the greatest player the sport has ever seen.” He attributed that to his boldness, saying, “Against Novak, there were no risks. If you play your normal game, then he wins every time.”
Next for Opelka is France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who hit 19 aces in his 7-5, 7-6(5) win over Czech Jakub Mensik. It should be another explosive serving contest in the semi-final as each player maintains their impressive runs in Brisbane.
